Let That Be A Lesson Learned
by Vampiyaa
Summary: Seven/Rose AU; Part Seven of the Forever and More series. The Seventh Doctor's TARDIS brings him to 21st century London and locks him out, so he's forced to take the slow path. He becomes an astrophysics teacher at a London college, where a certain student piques his interest with her open mind, determination, and fascination with outer space.
1. P: How To Survive When Your Own Home

**Beta: natural-blues**

* * *

Prologue: Lesson One

How To Survive When Your Own Home Kicked You Out

The Doctor sat comfortably in a chintz armchair propped in the console room, one hand supporting H.G. Wells' _The Time Machine _in front of his face and his other hand searching through a bowl of jelly babies. The console room was peaceful and quiet but for the content sigh that came from his mouth, the TARDIS's gentle hums and the song crackling from the old gramophone playing in the background.

"_When the night has been too lonely,_

_And the road has been too long_

_And you think that love is only_

_For the lucky and the strong_…"

The Doctor turned the page, immersed in his book to the point where he didn't notice the TARDIS's hum change in pitch slightly.

"_Just remember in the winter,_

_Far beneath the bitter snow,_

_Lies the seed that with the sun's love_

_In the spring becomes the rose— rose— rose— rose—"_

The Doctor frowned and lowered his book as the gramophone started to skip, making a slight screeching noise as it skipped over the word 'rose'.

"— _rose— rose— rose— rose—"_

"All right, that's enough of that," the Doctor grumbled, heaving himself up from the chair and setting the book down so he could stroll over and flick the needle off the still-turning record.

At once, the TARDIS jerked violently, throwing the Doctor onto his bum with a cry and making the bowl of jelly babies crash onto the floor. The gramophone needle slammed back onto the record for the briefest second, making the player churn out one more 'rose' before it slipped off the table completely, crashing into pieces on the floor. The TARDIS gave one last violent rock before landing with a bang, letting out a final creaking groan. Spitting his un-tucked tie out of his mouth, the Doctor grabbed the side of the console and pulled himself up, scowling and rubbing his elbow.

"Where did you decide to up and take me, eh?" the Doctor grumbled, stepping towards the doors and frowning with disappointment at the jelly babies scattered on the floor. _What a dreadful waste. _

He pushed open the doors and stepped out into what he immediately recognised as 21st century London, precisely 2005. What on Earth was the problem here? He turned around and tried to head back into the ship to question her, but he ended up simply banging headfirst into the doors, which closed before he could go through them.

"That was rude!" he fumed. The TARDIS let out a non-committal hum and opened her doors again, except this time two suitcases and his question mark-tipped brolly were set directly on the carpet. "You're kicking me out?" the Doctor said incredulously, snatching up his suitcases and his umbrella.

The TARDIS answered his question when she slammed her doors again and locked them with a loud click. He spent a full minute staring at his suddenly temperamental ship, before drawing himself up with a scowl and stomping into modern London with nothing but a few clothes and a leftover jelly baby sticking to his coat.

* * *

He still had a decent amount of cash in his account from his UNIT days, so money was not an issue for him at the present moment. He managed to find a flat within two days in central London, which was lucky even by his standards, and soon he was in a small one bedroom flat with a rather nice view of the Thames. Upon opening his suitcase for the first time, the Doctor was astonished to find a small brochure advertising a local London college. He deduced that that was where the TARDIS wanted him to go, else she wouldn't have put it in his suitcase, and he promptly rang up the school asking if they needed any teachers for the new semester.

The Doctor went in for an interview three days later, with bright references from the Brigadier and others at UNIT and a diverse resume. The board member he met hired him eagerly despite already having a sufficient amount of teachers, and to his utter delight allowed him a position in the sciences department as an astrophysics teacher. The spring term would start in two weeks and, because he hadn't been hired out of desperation, would only be teaching one group of students for one class per day. He'd even have his very own office, which was positively lovely.

Upon leaving the building with a triumphant smirk on his face and several odd glances at his umbrella, the Doctor accidentally bumped headfirst into a tall black gentleman holding a briefcase on his way out the door.

"My apologies, dear sir," said the Doctor gallantly, but the man merely gave him a frown before hurrying off.

He stuck his nose in the air and mumbled about rude young apes before realising that there was some kind of sticky yellow oil on his jacket. Grimacing at it, the Doctor brought it up to his face and sniffed. What on Earth was that? It seemed familiar…

Then it hit him. With yet another victorious grin, the Doctor strode out of the University College London, eager for term to start. He had a feeling he knew exactly who — or what — that man was.

* * *

The Doctor stumbled upon something else to investigate on the first day of term, when he met his class.

Come morning, the Doctor dressed eagerly and practically bounced all the way to the school, beaming like an idiot at the chattering students in the hallways. Ah, to be a student again. He had fond memories of his time at the Academy. At least, when he wasn't skiving off or not paying attention in lectures (or amusing himself and Koschei by picturing his teachers in their pants). He met the others teachers in the lounge before the bell rang— three men from the computer sciences and technology department, two females in the biology division and a chemistry teacher… who just happened to be the same man he'd bumped into two weeks earlier.

The Doctor was positively brimming with energy, and with a bounce in his step he strolled into the classroom, which was filled with chattering students. They all quietened when he set down his briefcase and brolly, turned around and all but beamed at them. "Hello there!"

"'Lo," a few of them mumbled, and one even waved.

He opened his mouth to introduce himself, but one of his students in the left row caught his eye, a lovely young lady with bottle blonde hair sitting in between a brown haired girl and a black man. All the other students were sitting at their desks either looking exhausted or bored, but she was ramrod straight and staring at him with the utmost look of confusion. He frowned right back at her— did he have spinach in his teeth or something? Then he remembered he didn't have spinach for breakfast and relaxed. "Er, I'm Doctor John Smith," he said. "I'll be teaching you… well, what you've signed up for," he added, and some of the students chuckled, much to his delight. "Well then, open your books, then."

Everyone sat up and opened his or her textbooks to the first page— everyone but the blonde woman. She continued to frown at him, looking at him like he'd just turned into a carrot, until the black man to her left elbowed her and murmured something. She obediently took her eyes off him and opened her book, still looking confused.

The class ended two hours later— a long two hours for the Doctor, since the woman seemed to be very dedicated to staring at him for as long as she could. He was a bit relieved when the bell rang and the blonde woman took off with her chattering friends, not before giving him another once over. When all the students filed out, the Doctor headed to his desk and pulled out his student list. A standard school photograph accompanied each name, and hers was nearly at the bottom of the list.

Rose Tyler. She was pretty enough, with a wide grin and brown eyes filled with mirth. Her friends, he noticed, were Mickey Smith and Shareen Costello.

He set down the list and slipped out Rose's picture, frowning at it. What was it about him that this girl found so utterly confusing?

* * *

Rose stayed quiet about what she'd seen up until lunchtime, where she, Shareen, Mickey, Keisha and Trisha all gathered in their old spot on the campus, underneath the oak tree. It wasn't until she was lounging with her feet in Mickey's lap and everybody was silent that Rose finally said, "All right, I'm just gonna come out with it then— did anyone else notice what Professor Smith was wearin'?"

"I don't pay attention to what men are wearin' 'less they're twenty years old and wearin' jeans skinny enough to show off their bums, among other things," Keisha said delicately, prompting a snort apiece from the group.

Rose wasn't amused. "I'm serious. He was wearin' a yellow jumper with red question marks on it! Did nobody else seriously see that?"

"He wasn't wearin' that, Rose," Shareen scoffed.

Her jaw hit the ground. Straightening up, she said, "Yeah, he was! How did you not see it? It was the only thing I could look at the whole class!"

"Then you need your eyes tested," Mickey grinned, and everybody shared a laugh again.

"I mean it, Micks!" Rose said insistently. "He was wearin' a _question mark jumper_— and he had an umbrella, too, where the handle was a question mark!"

"See, now that I saw," Trisha chimed in, and the group nodded in unison. "Passed him in the hall when Keisha and I were goin' to health and biology. Thought it was pretty cool, actually."

"So, you saw the brolly, but not the jumper?" Rose said, voice lapsing from firm insistence to hesitant confusion. "But… how does that even make sense?"

"It don't, babe, which means you're mental," Mickey said, and even Rose had to laugh at that.

"Yeah, 'cos when I'm mental, I imagine professors in question mark jumpers," Rose grinned. "All right, here's a little experiment— what was the Professor wearin' today?"

All of them opened their mouths to answer immediately, only to look slack-faced and confused.

"Now that you mention it, I'm drawin' a blank," Shareen frowned.

"So'm I," Mickey said bemusedly. "Blimey, that's odd."

"Yeah, it is," Rose agreed, smile fading. Sitting up, she added, "Tell you lot what— tomorrow in class, I'll show you, yeah? Provided he's still wearin' it."

"Fine by me," Shareen said. "Can we go get chips now?"

"Oh my God, yeah," Rose groaned, and everybody laughed and set off for the chip stand down the road.

* * *

As it turned out, that plan didn't work out quite as Rose hoped.

She and her friends headed into Professor Smith's morning class, where Trisha and Keisha said goodbye and parted ways, and Rose, Shareen and Mickey sat down in their former seats. Rose sat up a bit in her seat when Professor Smith strode in, holding his silly umbrella and donning his question mark jumper again.

Tugging insistently on Mickey's sleeve, she hissed out urgently, "See, he's wearin' the jumper, like I said!"

"What?" Mickey said a bit dazedly. "What jumper?"

"The jumper, the one with question marks on it, like I told you yesterday!"

"No he isn't."

Rose let go of him and gaped at him, eyes wide. "Are you serious? Look, right there, it's _right_ there!"

"There's nothing there, Rose," Shareen said dismissively.

"Are you screwin' with me?" Rose demanded, glaring at Mickey. "'Cos it's not funny anymore— s'freakin' me out now."

"Screwing with you about what?" Mickey said flatly. "Nobody's screwing with you, babe. Open your book, before Professor Smith gets mad."

Rose slumped in her seat, staring with astonishment between Mickey, Shareen and Professor Smith, who was now addressing the room but kept flicking his eyes back to her. "But, how can you…?" She trailed off when Mickey and Shareen flicked open their books at Professor Smith's request.

She stayed quiet with her head down all throughout class, ignoring Mickey when he asked to see her notes or when Professor Smith asked the class a question. When the bell rang, Mickey and Shareen bounced up with their books, chattering about possible lunch plans, but Rose stood up slowly, frowning. Her friends headed out of the class quickly and she lagged behind, waiting until everyone else had left. Professor Smith was rummaging around in his desk for something and didn't notice her presence until he looked up.

He jumped a bit. "Yes, er… Miss Tyler?"

Rose hugged her books to her chest as though to steel herself. "You're wearing a yellow jumper with red question marks on it."

Professor Smith blinked at her, looking a bit shocked. "Er… yes. Yes I am, actually."

"So then I'm not crazy," Rose muttered, taking a step towards him. "Or we're both crazy."

"I beg your pardon, young lady?" Professor Smith frowned.

"How come only I can see what you're wearin' and nobody else can?" Rose demanded. His face lit up with astonishment— _bingo._ "Tell me. None of my friends can see it, but I can, an' it's drivin' me mental."

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about, Miss Tyler," he said indignantly, drawing himself up and turning his head away back to the files on his desk. "Shouldn't you be leaving now?"

Rose clenched her fists, eyes narrowing at him. "Professor, you—"

"Don't call me that," he interrupted sharply, bowing his head.

"What?"

"Don't call me 'Professor'," Professor Smith said, eyes fixed on his desk. "It's 'Doctor'."

"_Doctor_, then," Rose said impatiently. "Something's wrong with you, something odd. I'm gonna figure it out. In the meantime, whatever the sodden hell you're doin' to my friends—" she glared at him, "— stop it."

Without letting the Professor — never mind, the _Doctor_ — answer her or so much as look up, Rose spun on her heels and stormed out of the class.

* * *

The Doctor watched Rose Tyler stalk away, back straight and determined. He stayed still long after she had left, staring hard at his paperweight. Since the first class, when she'd stared at him for two hours like he was a dinosaur in a frock, the Doctor knew she was going to be somebody significant. He just didn't know she'd be so significant to the point where she could see straight through the perception field around his outfit. Granted, it was a mild one, but in comparison to a human's brain patterns it should be far more powerful than anything they've encountered.

Adding into the mix the fact that she'd called him 'Professor' with a hardened, Ace-worthy expression and he was thoroughly rattled.

What was it about Rose Tyler that made her immune to the perception filter's otherwise foolproof brainwave manipulation? Frowning, the Doctor gathered his things and the students' assignments and headed out into the crowded hallway. If only the TARDIS hadn't kicked him out— he had sensors and equipment that would be perfect for examining Rose Tyler's brainwaves. Then again, it'd also be a problem getting Rose on the TARDIS in the first place. She thought him evil and suspicious now, and the only thing remotely mistrustful about him so far was his bloody _jumper. _

And now she was going to go on a personal vendetta for apparently 'messing with her friends'. It was sweet, really, for her to be so protective of her friends. But honestly, did she think an old looking, question-mark-jumper-wearing professor was any danger to her? Well, he was, if he wanted to be, but he didn't, so there. As a matter of fact, any harm coming to the headstrong, lovely little blonde turned his stomach.

Then he remembered what had happened seconds before the TARDIS had decided to drop his arse off in 21st century London.

"_Just remember in the winter,_

_Far beneath the bitter snow,_

_Lies the seed that with the sun's love_

_In the spring, becomes the rose— rose— rose— rose— rose— rose— rose—"_

"That's it!" he burst out gleefully, only to receive several shocked and confused glances from students and teachers in the hall around him— he paid them no heed.

The TARDIS had sent him a sign about this girl and then dumped him right on her doorstep (and then some). Evidently the mysterious teacher was not the only thing he was sent here to investigate. Smirking triumphantly and using his brolly as a walking stick, the Doctor strode out of the school. Later, he would conduct an experiment.

Since she was so immune to the perception filter, he'd see how she fared with the psychic paper.

* * *

After classes ended, Rose headed to TESCO's and did the grocery shopping for her mum before taking the Tube to her mum's flat.

"Mum?" Rose called, using her back to push open the door, hauling in the bags. "'M home!"

"Hello, sweetheart," Jackie cooed, thanking her daughter with a giant smacking kiss on the forehead when Rose dragged the grocery bags into the kitchen. "How was class?"

"Really bloody odd," Rose muttered.

She hadn't meant for Jackie to hear her, but she did. Turning, Jackie asked, "What's the matter, love?"

"Nothin', Mum," Rose shrugged, frowning. "S'just… my new astrophysics teacher, Professor Smith— well, _Doctor, _as he prefers it."

"What's the matter with him?" Jackie's eyes narrowed. "Did he say somethin' inappropriate to you?"

"No, Mum," Rose chuckled, starting to unload the groceries and put them in their respective places. "He's just… something's up with him. He was wearin' a yellow jumper with red question marks on it and was carryin' a question mark umbrella."

Jackie let out a snort as she grabbed the asparagus and put it in the vegetable crisper. "That's got to be fashion murder, that."

Rose laughed. "Mum, that's not what I meant. Yeah, it was weird, but the really weird thing is, nobody seemed to notice the jumper but me. The first day, he comes walkin' in wearin' it, yeah, and I'm starin' at him the whole time. Then at lunch, when I ask Shareen, Mickey, Keisha and Trisha about it, they tell me they didn't see it!"

"How can you not notice what your own professor's wearin'?" Jackie scoffed. "'Less they were knobbin' off in class."

"They weren't, though," Rose insisted. "So I said I'd show them this morning, and they agreed, only when I point it out, it was like they forgot the whole conversation!"

"I think they're messin' with you, Rose," Jackie said fondly.

"I dunno," she said. "That's what I thought at first, too, only when I confronted the Professor — sorry, the _Doctor_ — about it, he acted all suspicious. S'weird."

"Maybe he just thinks you're mental," said Jackie delicately, prompting another laugh on Rose's end.

"Thanks."

"Anytime. Did he give you homework?" Jackie added, motherly side coming out.

"Yes, Mum," Rose grumbled. "Got to do an essay on virial theorem."

"I don't wanna know what that is," said Jackie lightly, and Rose laughed again. "My Rose, the Estate's first astrophysicist! S'just lucky you dumped that Jimmy Stone wanker when he told you to quit school."

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "I was gonna do it too, only Mickey talked me out of it. Speakin' of Micks, I dunno why he's takin' astrophysics too— he wants to be an engineer."

"Oh please, Rose, everyone from the Estates and beyond knows he fancies you," Jackie said. "Ever since you were babies. Remember how he used to try and get your attention when you were in elementary school by throwin' rocks at you?"

"Oh my God, yeah," Rose giggled. "Hated him when he did that— thought he was just bein' an arse." Then she paused. "I like Micks as a friend, though."

"I know," said Jackie, looking sympathetic. "But he's sendin' you one hell of a signal, signin' up for a class he don't want so he can be near you."

Rose stayed silent as her mum began rummaging around in the fridge to start on dinner. Mickey had always been a brilliant friend — hell, he'd even socked Jimmy in the face after they had broken up and Jimmy had called her a whore the next day — but that was it. She couldn't picture herself in a relationship with him— at least, not one that would end in anything fantastic. Sighing, Rose heaved out her textbook and a blank sheet of paper, mind wandering between how to show Mickey she wasn't interested without hurting him and how to figure out what was wrong with her new Professor.

* * *

**A/N: And so begins Seven's turn :3 There will be three chapters to this (like Zugzwang) so the chapters will be longer than they were in Five Days. This one's a bit short, 'cos it's a prologue, but the other'll be A LOT longer, I promise :) PS I know college/high school AUs have been done a thousand times over, but I liked the idea of the 'Professor' Doctor in college with Rose (as it should be :3).**  
**Note: the song playing on the Doctor's gramophone was 'The Rose' (© Bette Midler) which came out in 1980, when CDs were becoming popular but records were still being generally distributed. **


	2. 1: What To Do When One Falls In Love

**Beta: natural-blues**

* * *

Lesson Two

What To Do When One Falls In Love

The Doctor strode into the school a week later, leaning slightly on his umbrella. His time in the past seven days had been taken up almost completely by investigating the teacher, who called himself Aaron Miser; keeping an eye on Rose Tyler, who refused to speak to him or look at him besides the usual death glare; and doing his teacher-ly duties— so, by the end of the day, he was completely exhausted. He missed hopping from place to place and running for his life. The slow path was definitely taking its toll on him.

Still, he found himself eager in the mornings to get that glimpse of the real Rose Tyler, unfiltered and with her barriers down, smiling brightly, sometimes with her tongue poking out at the corner of her mouth. It was a positively charming smile. He wished that it would be directed at him for once, instead of at that Costello girl and that idiot Rickey or something, who clearly didn't want to be in this class since all of his assignments (at least, the ones he'd bothered to hand back) were half-hearted and lazy. The Doctor heavily suspected Rickey was only here for Rose, which was a positively stupid thing to do, and that was definitely the reason the Doctor was grading him heavily. Probably. Either way, the Doctor didn't think Rickey deserved that lovely tongue-in-teeth grin from Rose.

Rose didn't seem very interested in the astrophysical theory either, although he'd seen her poring over books with pictures of astronomical anomalies— he'd actually preened when she cooed over a photograph of a binary pulsar in the Andromeda Galaxy. He'd probably strolled right by that pulsar sometime in his travels; he could take her there. Although, she already hated him for psychologically manipulating her friends, even though he wasn't doing it out of malice. Perhaps, as a sign of good faith, he'd remove the perception filter.

The Doctor paused halfway to his office, noticing the door was slightly ajar. He'd locked the door the night previous, so how could it be open? Wielding his umbrella like a sword, the Doctor crept towards the open door and pushed it open slowly, peeking inside.

To his immense surprise, the first thing he saw was Rose Tyler's bottom. Blushing furiously and turning away in embarrassment, he stepped into the room and took her in fully. She was bent over his desk, rummaging around in his drawers. He watched with horror as Rose pulled out his TARDIS key and examined it closely, frowning at it. Her frown deepened as she continued to watch it, and to his immense surprise, he felt the stirrings of a telepathic signature flood the room and saw the key glow faintly gold.

"What are you doing?" he asked, and despite his gentle voice she jumped up like a skittish rabbit.

"Er—" choked out of Rose's mouth.

"Wait a minute!" the Doctor said hastily, when she showed signs of running (with his TARDIS key still in her hand). "How did you get in here? Did you pick the lock?"

"Maybe," she muttered, mistaking his impressed look for shock. "Was lookin' for clues."

He bit back a stupid grin. Rose Tyler had picked the lock and broke into his office to look for clues to 'save' her friends. How positively delightful. However…

The Doctor schooled his features into a professor-like look of disapproval. "I'll have to report this, you know."

"Fine," Rose snapped. "I don't care. Tell me what it is you're doin' to my friends."

Inside, behind a mark of sternness, he was jumping for joy. "I haven't any idea what you mean, Miss Tyler. But I'd be willing to forget this… if you aid me."

Her eyes narrowed. "With what?"

"First you'll need to give me back that key, Miss Tyler," he said firmly, and Rose grudgingly gave him back the TARDIS key, which he pocketed. "Now, come with me."

She crossed her arms but followed him obediently out the door, heading up a flight of stairs and into the chemistry department. Rose frowned. "We're goin' to my chemistry class?"

"Not quite," the Doctor said abruptly, striding past the classrooms and heading straight for Miser's office.

When they stopped in front of his office door and the Doctor peered through the blinds to check if Miser was in there, Rose took a step back. "Wait… you want me to break into Professor Miser's office?"

"Your lock-picking prowess suggests you're perfectly capable," the Doctor said smoothly, standing up straight and stepping in front of her to shield her from view of passers-by. "Go on, then."

Rose glared at him, before reluctantly tugging out two L-shaped halves of a broken paperclip from her jeans pocket. "When we get caught, I'm allowed to say you blackmailed me."

"Fair enough," he said, unable to hold back a smile at the sight of the homemade lock-picker. How ingenious. He was starting to like Rose more and more by the minute.

She rolled her eyes at his grin and bent over the door handle, jamming the bigger paperclip half into the lower half of the keyhole and gently sliding in the smaller one at the top, wriggling it with professional ease. He smirked, wondering just what it was Rose Tyler got up to in her spare time that taught her how to pick locks, when the lock clicked open and Rose straightened up and looked at him. "There."

"Brilliant." He beamed at her, before grabbing her hand and hauling her into the darkened office.

"I don't want to look through Professor Miser's office with you," Rose hissed, trying to tug her hand away. "He's my bloody chemistry teacher!"

"Even better. You can keep an eye on him during your classes," the Doctor said idly, obediently letting go so he could duck under the desk.

"I don't want any part of whatever it is you're doing," Rose said sharply, but she lingered in the background instead of leaving as he hauled up a suitcase that appeared to weigh at least thirty pounds.

"You will once you see this," said the Doctor eagerly, flicking open the suitcase.

Rose recoiled with a grimace— the suitcase was filled with several jars of disgusting yellowish oil, some of it still liquidated, some coagulating from age. "Oh my God, what the sodden hell _is _that?!"

"Krillitane oil," the Doctor grinned, snatching a jar up and pocketing it as he closed the suitcase and set it down in its former spot.

"What's that?"

"A long story, my dear, hard to explain," the Doctor said dismissively, taking her hand again and leading her towards the door. He locked the door again with a swift click and closed it behind them, leading her hastily back down the stairs. "The point is, your teacher is not who he says he is."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Rose muttered, glaring at his back.

"Not me," the Doctor sighed. "Miser. He's a Krillitane, as I suspected."

"And that is…?"

"Something very dangerous," said the Doctor vaguely. "Which is why you must keep an eye on him in your classes. If he does anything odd, report to me."

"'M not doin' that!" she fumed, simultaneously wondering if he had a handholding fetish. Rose opened her mouth to say something further, only to be sidetracked when something 'slipped' out of his pocket and landed on the floor with a loud slap. Tugging his hand to get him to stop, Rose bent down and picked it up. "You dropped your…" She frowned, first with confusion and then with annoyance. "Blank piece of paper," Rose finished, handing it back to him with a scowl.

"Did I?" he said with false air, pocketing it again, a half-frown, half-expression of pride on his face. "Thank you, Miss Tyler."

"You're actin' like s'prefectly normal to walk around with a blank piece of paper in your pocket," Rose scowled, as they continued their trek.

"To some people it might be," said the Doctor dismissively. "Now, once you get to chemistry this afternoon you ought to examine his behaviour—"

"No," Rose interrupted firmly, tugging her hand out of his grip a second time. "Not 'till you tell me exactly what's going on."

He paused in the middle of the hallway, turning around to look at her with contemplation. Rose reminded him so much of Ace, with her determination and, yes, unimaginable stubbornness, and if there was anyone from this period who would be able to wrap their heads around the Doctor and his alien life, it would be Rose Tyler, who looked at pictures of space and actually broke into his office because of his jumper.

Unfortunately, at the level of trust she held in him at the moment, she wouldn't believe him. Smiling, he said simply, "When you're ready," and continued walking, leaving her alone in the hall behind him. She watched him go, hands on her hips, trying hard to piece together everything she'd just seen. Then the bell rang, and she had to head to class.

Rose met up with Mickey and Shareen in the classroom, and she stayed mostly silent while they chattered and ducked her head when the Doctor entered the room. That is, until Mickey exclaimed, "Blimey, look at his jumper!"

Rose snapped her head up and stared at him; his eyes were wide and locked on the Doctor. The class was muttering behind them, hushed whispers and silent giggles. "You can see that?"

"How can I miss it?" Mickey snorted.

Rose turned to Shareen, who was smirking behind her hand. "You can too?" When Shareen nodded, Rose turned and glanced at the Doctor, who was setting down his umbrella. Catching her eye, he gave her a small, tentative smile and a wink, and Rose felt an involuntary smile creep on her face. Whatever it was he'd done to her friends, he'd obviously stopped it— she knew it was probably to get on her good side so she'd spy on Professor Miser for him, but she couldn't help but appreciate it. Ducking her head and mouthing a reluctant 'thank you' before turning to Shareen and Mickey and telling them off for snickering.

* * *

Despite herself, the next two weeks of chemistry class were spent examining Professor Miser and even taking notes on his behaviour. Rose noted that he never ate any meals, neither in his office nor the teacher's lounge, and continuously checked his mobile at twenty-minute intervals— she also noted that his mobile looked a little too high-tech to be store bought. She felt a bit nervous when he opened up his suitcase and rummaged in it, hoping he didn't notice the missing jar of 'Crillitain' oil.

One day, at the beginning of the third week when the chatter about the Doctor's silly jumper had all but died down, the students were required to hand in their assignments at the end of class. Rose lagged behind and ended up being the last one to hand in her assignment, and the Doctor smiled brightly at her when she stayed behind.

Heaving a sigh, she also handed over her notebook, filled with notes on Miser. He flipped them open with a frown. "What's this?"

"Observations," Rose muttered, hands on her hips. "Something's up with Professor Miser, definitely."

He skimmed over the notes, and then his brilliant smile turned into a full-on beam and he actually swept her into a giant hug. "Oh, you brilliant, clever, wonderful woman!"

She gaped initially at the random embrace but then giggled when he squeezed her and rocked them both, patting him awkwardly on the back at first before obediently hugging him back. "I assume that's what you wanted, then?"

"It's absolutely fantastic," he hummed into her neck, before pulling away but keeping both hands on her shoulders. "You, my dear girl, are a genius."

Rose grinned with her tongue poking out between her teeth, and at last it was just for him. "You're welcome." She blinked at him innocently, stunning him for a moment. "So… am I ready now?"

"Er, what?" he said dazedly, before remembering. "Oh, right. Not yet."

Her smile dropped off at once and she scowled at him, making him regret answering her at all. "When am I gonna be?"

"Soon," he said simply, pocketing her notebook.

Rose looked like she wanted to argue, but the late bell rang and she looked alarmed. "Shit, I'm gonna be late."

"You'd better hurry then," he said earnestly, watching her as she jogged away. Hesitating, he added on a call, "Thank you, Rose!"

Rose turned around and gave him another tongue-touched grin that for some reason had his hearts quickening before she hopped out of sight.

* * *

It felt odd to go to Professor Miser's class directly after handing in potentially incriminating evidence against him; it was even stranger to spend a full class not observing him anymore. Since none of her friends had taken chemistry, Rose was by herself— it hadn't been so bad the last near month, since she'd been concentrating on Miser's tics, but by the first hour she was bored and lonely and craving chips, for some reason. She half-heartedly took notes, thoughts centred on the Doctor, trying to piece together all of the facts and observations she'd made about him and his behaviour.

Fact: he had the ability to mess with her friends' minds to shield his jumper from view and the ability to turn it off if he so desired, and whatever it was, she was immune to it. Why he'd want to conceal his jumper, Rose had no idea— the Doctor didn't seem to care about his physical appearance that much.

Fact: he seemed to fancy himself a spy or something, and his target was Miser. According to what Rose had discovered — including the oil and the fact that he didn't seem to need to eat — his suspicions were clearly justified, so whatever world the Doctor belonged to, Miser was right there with him. Whether the Doctor was the good guy and Miser was the bad, or vice versa, Rose had no idea— however, Miser definitely wasn't winning any popularity points with her.

Fact: he was either telling the truth in regards to telling her precisely what he was up to 'when she was ready', or he was lying and he'd make a run for it when everything was over. She fidgeted in her seat, feeling a pang of mixed hurt and irrational anger. Thinking of the ridiculously silly Doctor simply up and leaving after all this time was unpleasant. As much as she'd initially hated him for messing with her friends, she'd grown fond of him— he positively beamed at her every time she handed in an assignment and smiled whenever she did, whether or not it was directed at him.

Fact: she was certifiably mental. Whatever the Doctor was into, it wasn't safe or legal, and it wouldn't do for her to be fawning over him.

The bell ringing made her jump, and she pulled herself back to reality and gathered up her things. As she headed out the door, Professor Miser's baritone voice called out, "Young lady, could you stay a moment?"

Swallowing and trying not to show fear on her face, Rose turned around only to see that Miser's gaze was directed on the girl behind her, Samantha or something. Heaving a relieved sigh, Rose started to leave, flinching when Miser's fiery gaze turned onto her, looking as though he could see right through her. It was immensely unsettling. Hugging her books almost protectively, Rose hurried her steps and headed straight to the Doctor's office, hoping he was still there. Unfortunately his office was locked again and vacant. Huffing a sigh, Rose turned away and headed down the hall. She'd tell him tomorrow morning— for now, the only thing she had to look forward to was a late-night shift at Henrik's, and a horribly long chemistry assignment.

* * *

The Doctor arrived early, positively brimming with energy as he set up a projector and a slideshow of their current topic— photography taken by the Hubble telescope and some videos about quantum singularities. He'd seen the way Rose reacted to photographs of those topics — her eyes would be glued to the page, attention unwavering, and little 'oohs' would tumble from her lips. It was positively endearing, although that certainly wasn't the reason he'd spent all night setting up this presentation. Maybe.

The last week or so, his nights had been filled with fond remembrances of the antics of Rose Tyler that made her the perfect potential companion; the decision that, once the TARDIS let him back in, he'd invite her to travel with him; and the more than occasional dream about doing odd things like snogging her inside the classroom or the TARDIS console room (although he tried not to dwell too much on those). Likewise, his mornings had been made by the lovely smile that was sent his way whenever Rose walked in, but this morning Rose practically dragged herself into the classroom, half-leaning on Mickey. He frowned, wondering if she was all right, but when he overheard Mickey ask the same question and Rose's mumbled reply was, "Work is stupid," he relaxed.

As Rose slumped down in her seat, the Doctor requested the furthest student to flick off the lights, turned on the projector eagerly and started the slideshow, starting to speak. At once, to his utter delight, Rose sat up in her seat ramrod straight at the sight of the spatial anomalies. It was different than when she was looking at photos in a book, where her hair was a curtain partially shielding her face and her eyelids were half-lowered— now she had her head tossed back and eyes wide with interest, passing photographs of different anomalies reflected on her eyes.

Then there was no doubt in his mind he positively adored Rose Tyler. A lot.

He ended his personal lecture, having to dedicate a lot of effort to stem back the gigantic gleeful beam, and flicked on one of the videos, sitting back and watching Rose out of the corner of his eye.

"_A quantum singularity is a star that has collapsed in on itself…"_

"Blimey, wonder what it looks like when you fall into one o' those things," he heard Mickey say in a hushed voice.

"Well, say one bloke is being pulled in toward the singularity and another's watching, yeah?" Rose began, missing Shareen and Mickey's shared smirk. "Since black holes draw in light, once the first bloke crosses the event horizon, he'll appear to stop moving, then he'll, um, turn sort of reddish in hue and then just sort of fade until he disappears."

Once she finished, that's when she noticed Mickey and Shareen grinning at her. "You look that up on your own time, then?"

Rose blushed and ducked her head into her lap. "Maybe."

As Mickey and Shareen snickered, the Doctor marvelled at her, ignoring the video that had reined in Rose's attention again, too captivated in the stunning human he had the luck to call his friend.

The lesson ended before the presentation was over, and Rose jerked herself out of her trance and suppressed a groan of disappointment that she'd have to wait until tomorrow to see the rest. Then she remembered the incident yesterday and once again told Mickey and Shareen to leave without her. The Doctor was busy unplugging the projector and didn't notice she'd lagged behind until she cleared her throat.

His enormous beam seemed brighter than usual. "Hello, Rose!"

"I think he's onto me," Rose said without answering, face earnest.

His smile slid away at once. "Oh?"

"He practically gave me the death glare when I left yesterday," Rose elaborated, leaning against his desk. "He called out when I was leaving, and I thought he was gonna confront me, but instead he asked some other girl to stay."

The Doctor's face blanched. "What other girl?"

"Samantha something," Rose shrugged, frowning. "Hayes, I think."

"Who is she?" he demanded.

Rose bit her lip, trying to think. "Never talked to her, but I've heard things. She's a loner, came to London from Canada so she could study here."

"No family in the area?" When Rose shook her head, he grimaced. "Which means no one to miss her." Standing up abruptly and setting down the papers, he grabbed her hand again and pulled her out of the office. "This is very bad, Rose. We have to find that girl. Do you recall seeing her today?"

"No," Rose said. "Doctor, what's the matter? Did Miser do something to her?"

"Most likely," he muttered. Instead of pulling her upstairs to her chemistry class again, as she'd expected, he tugged her downstairs and towards the main office. "Time for you to do some more espionage, Rose."

Rose rolled her eyes but smiled fondly. "What is it now?"

"Head in there and ask for that Samantha girl," the Doctor said, smiling back at her.

Rose gave his hand a squeeze, missing the silliness that came to his grin at her gesture, and obediently entered the office. "'Scuse me?" she asked to the receptionist.

Said receptionist was on the phone, and held up a finger for Rose to wait. After a minute the woman hung up and addressed her. "Yes?"

"'M lookin' for my friend, Samantha Hayes, yeah?" Rose said. "She was s'posed to meet me here twenty minutes ago so we could work on a project. Just wanted to know if she's here."

The receptionist turned to the computer monitor stationed on her desk and began typing rapidly. "Nope, she's absent today, apparently."

Rose thanked the woman and left hurriedly, giving the Doctor a grim expression. "She's _absent._"

A look of terror appeared on his face. "This is very bad, Rose." Giving her a stern look, he said coolly, "Go home. You'll be safe there."

Rose scoffed, hand on her hip again. "I'm not going _home_."

"Yes, you are."

He turned away and briskly began striding up the steps, and naturally Rose followed him. "No, I'm not. 'M comin' with you."

The Doctor glared at her even as he climbed. At her answering glare, he huffed a sigh. "Fine. But be careful."

Biting back a smirk of triumph, Rose followed him to the third floor and obediently stayed behind him as he peeked into the chemistry classroom. Thankfully this time the door was unlocked, so they were able to creep into the classroom, which was darkened due to the blinds being closed.

"Professor Miser?" Rose called out, making the Doctor jump.

"What on Earth are you doing?!" he hissed.

"Just shush, will you?" Rose hissed back, before saying loudly again, "Professor Miser? I have an assignment I want to hand in…"

The room was silent, save for an odd scuttling noise, like a rat's claws skittering across the floor. Rose frowned at the sound, looking to the Doctor for some kind of explanation, but he looked just as confused as she was. The Doctor took a step further into the room, Rose staying in the background, and bent down low to check underneath the desk.

"Nothing here, but it smells odd," he said, frowning with curiosity. "Almost sweet." Sniffing the air to identify the chemical compositions, he muttered, "Chlorine… carbon… and—" A muffled shout from behind him made him snap up and whirl around. Miser was standing directly in the centre of the room, irises glowing a sickly yellow as he restrained a flailing Rose Tyler and pressed a rag to her mouth with a gloved hand. "ROSE!" shouted the Doctor, as her eyes rolled up into her head and she slumped onto the ground.

Irrational fury bled through him and all he could think was '_GIVE HER BACK'. _Brandishing his umbrella like a weapon, he charged at Miser, who seemingly without effort brought back his arm and struck the Doctor over the head, sending him flying backward into the desks. His head struck the side and the last thing he thought before he blacked out was, _Well, this won't be good._

* * *

Ooh, his head _hurt._

It was as though someone had taken a sledgehammer to the back of his skull. He let out a disgruntled groan of pain and tried to sit up, but the sharp sting in his temple mixed with the gentle push of slender hands on his shoulders. Compliantly he lay back down, snuggling his head into whatever soft thing he'd been situated on.

"Doctor?" whispered Rose's hesitant voice directly next to his ear, making him shiver a bit. "Are you awake?"

"No," he mumbled, and she giggled.

"As much as I'm sure that's true, we're sort of being held prisoner, yeah?" she said, the endearing tone in her voice punctuated by the last part of her sentence. "And I'd like to get out, ta." He pouted but obediently opened his eyes, only to scramble up in alarm despite the pain in his temple when he saw he had been lying with his head in Rose's lap. She jumped at the sudden movement and exclaimed in shock, "Blimey, mate, you just got nabbed in the head. Be careful."

The Doctor blushed with both shame and embarrassment before taking a good look around. They were in a stale white holding cell, with one latched window in the back and white steel bars in the front. "Ah," he said. "A Krillitane prison ship."

"Krillitane— that's the thing you said Miser was, yeah?" Rose said, and he nodded. "Am I ready to know what that is now?" she added sarcastically.

He leaned against the wall and sighed forlornly— he'd known this moment would come, but what if she didn't believe him? What if the truth made her hate him? Breathing in deeply, he nodded. "A Krillitane is… well, an alien."

She raised her eyebrows and blew out a huff through puffed cheeks. "Alien?" He nodded seriously. "Okay. Right." The look on her face was one of exasperation mixed with hurt and betrayal; his hearts stuttered at the sight. "How stupid d'you think I am?"

"Rose, I'm telling the truth," he said quietly, hanging his head.

"I'd get my professor being dangerous, yeah, but an _alien_?" Rose said with disbelief.

"Don't you believe in aliens?"

She cocked her head to the side, and with a slightly embarrassed shrug she muttered, "Maybe." He smiled at her with endearment, an echo of the smile he gave her every day in class. It seemed like ages ago. "Let me guess, you're one too?"

He started. "What makes you think that?"

"The fact that you can mess with people's heads, except mine," Rose said pointedly.

He stayed silent for a long few moments. "Yes."

Rose let out another humourless laugh and leaned back against the wall. "What kind of… _alien_… are you?"

"I'm a Time Lord," he mumbled.

She smirked. "Blimey, pretentious aren't you, my Lord?"

The Doctor tried to glare at her but ended up simply chuckling— 'pretentious' was an understatement with the Time Lords. Holding out his hand towards her, he said, "Come here."

Rose's gaze narrowed. "Why?"

"I can prove I'm not human," the Doctor said earnestly. "Just trust me."

A hundred reasons for her not to trust him flashed through his mind — the fact that he'd used telepathy on her friends (albeit a minor and near irrelevant form), that he'd manipulated her into aiding him — but despite the wariness in her eyes, she crawled towards him and took his outstretched hand. He smiled with gratitude before pressing her hand to the left side of his chest. She gave him an inquisitive look until he lifted her hand again, letting it travel to the right side and pushed it straight over his other heart.

He watched with intensity as her whole face slackened into amazement; her other hand lifted up and pressed itself over his left heart as well, and her face loomed near his, a bit too close for comfort. The Doctor swallowed and tried not to stare at her mouth when she raised her head.

"You have… two hearts," she whispered, as thought someone would overhear.

"Yes," he said just as quietly.

"You really are an alien, then."

"Yes."

Rose exhaled loudly, pulling away her hands. Instead of retreating back to her spot, as the Doctor had expected, she turned around and plopped down next to him. "Blimey."

The Doctor hesitated. "Is that all right?"

To his immense relief, Rose smiled at him, twining her fingers with his. "Yeah." He visibly relaxed and beamed at her. "Then, what's different about a Krillitane?"

"Well," he said, happily gripping her hand back now that he knew he could. "Krillitanes have the ability to take on choice physical features from races they conquer."

Rose's mouth dropped open. "So Miser's trying to take over the _Earth_?!"

"I'm not certain, but it seems probable," the Doctor nodded, "although if that is the case, then he's not alone."

Rose suddenly remembered something. "What did he do with that Samantha girl, then?"

The Doctor grimaced. "Even Krillitanes need nourishment."

"He _ate_ her?!" Rose yelped, suddenly sick to her stomach. "That's _disgusting_!"

"Indeed," the Doctor said grimly.

"Well, let's try and get out of here so we can stop him, then," Rose choked.

Leaving his rather soppy look of admiration unnoticed, she stood up, let go of his hand and walked over to the window, flicking open the latch and pulling the hatch open. He watched as her whole body stiffened at the sight beyond the circular window; a split second later she all but pressed her face to the glass, standing on tiptoe to reach. "We're in space…"

"Are we?" the Doctor said airily, voice gentle with fondness as he watched her.

"This is _brilliant_," she burst out, practically jumping for joy. "We're in _space_! Look, Doctor, look!" Rose added, momentarily throwing herself back towards him and pulling him up by his hand towards the window.

He beamed at her in the cramped window space, up until she turned to smile with equal silliness at him and they found their faces so close their noses touched. Both smiles dropped off in shock, but neither moved away, simply continuing to stare at each other and repressing mutual urges to let their eyes wander to the other's mouth.

"You're both up, then," said Miser's baritone voice from outside the holding cell.

They both whipped their heads around to see Miser standing with his hands clasped behind his back on the other side of the bars, eyes glowing yellow again, and as their eyes landed on him he used a sleek silver key to open the cell door and step inside. Using one hand to scoop Rose behind him, the Doctor glared at him and said, "Miser."

"It's _Brother _Miser," he snapped.

"Yes, yes," the Doctor said dismissively. "Why have you kidnapped us?"

"_She _was nosing in matters that needn't concern her," said Miser swiftly, before turning his glowing eyes on the Doctor, "but _you_, I have an agenda for."

"What? Why me?" the Doctor said sharply.

"Why, you're the Oncoming Storm, the Saviour and Destroyer of Worlds—"

"So you're an alien celebrity," Rose muttered with a half-smirk behind him, making him scowl.

"— and you will make a fitting recompense," Miser finished, leaving her comment unnoticed.

"Recompense?" he echoed. "Why—?" The Doctor paused, eyes flashing. "You've been banished from the Family, haven't you?"

Miser's face twisted into a grotesque expression. "Not banished," he snapped. "Merely being tried for murder."

"So you fled their custody and now you think using me as a bargaining chip will get you acquitted," he said, nodding before muttering under his breath, "Well, that would do it…"

"Why d'you need me then?" Rose demanded.

Miser turned to her. "I don't, Miss Tyler."

The Doctor tried to shield her further as Miser took a step forward towards her, the yellow in his eyes spreading over the sclera and minimising his pupils to specks. Rose's eyes widened to the size of coins as Miser's skin rippled and then seemed to bleed away into maroon scales, and his whole body emerged with spindly, bat-like wings and clawed hands with three fingers. With a loud screech Miser brought his scaled arm back and shoved the Doctor out of the way with surprising strength, advancing on her with his mouth open in a snarl, revealing an upper row of yellowing teeth.

"Holy shit…" was all Rose could gasp out as she pressed herself to the wall.

"ROSE!" the Doctor shouted, hurling himself onto Miser's back and locking his arms around his spindled neck.

Miser screeched out inhumanly and tried to fling the Doctor off; simultaneously, Rose shoved her hand into her jacket pocket, prayed to God that this would work, and hurled a jar filled with clear liquid at Miser. It hit him directly on the face and shattered, littering the ground with droplets and glass shards and coating Miser's face with liquid— at once the cell was filled with a sickly sizzling noise and Miser let out a screeching howl, flinging the Doctor to the floor and covering his face with clawed hands.

"What the hell was that?" the Doctor gasped, scrambling up off the ground and joining her side.

"I woke up when Miser was carryin' me into the cell," Rose explained, voice hollow as they watched Miser's scaly face bubble from between his fingers. "Nicked the jar of chloroform he had in his pocket, but I didn't think it'd…"

She gestured wordlessly with one hand towards the bat-thing writhing on the floor, and the Doctor remembered Miser wearing gloves when he'd knocked Rose out with the chloroform rag. Bringing a hand up to his mouth and gesturing for Rose to do the same, the Doctor said, "We have to leave before we suffocate."

Grabbing her free hand with his own, the Doctor pulled Rose out of the cell, locked Miser inside it, and started down a silver-grey corridor and into a giant ovular control room— the whole while, Rose tossed her head back and gawked at the alien systems and tried to glimpse with discretion out of the circular windows.

"Ah, here's the transmat," the Doctor said, keeping his hand locked around hers and using his other to press buttons on a monitor with odd spindly symbols. "I just have to put in the TARDIS's coordinates…"

"What's a transmat?" Rose asked.

He smiled at her curiosity. "A site-to-site transporter, to use your _Star Trek _term." As Rose giggled, he added, "Be careful— the transmat will make you disoriented for a moment."

Blushing, he outstretched his arm for her to take, which she did with a mutually embarrassed look. With one last press to the monitor, Rose's vision was suddenly blinded by a brilliant gold light, and she was suddenly more than willing to hang on to the Doctor's arm for dear life when her whole mind fogged up and her legs turned to putty.

"Oh dear, I did warn you," said the Doctor's slightly distorted voice near her ear.

"S'official— I don't like trans… carpets," Rose muttered, leaning heavily against him with her arms around his neck, too dizzied to be embarrassed.

He on the other hand was fully capable of feeling embarrassment, and he flushed into her hair as he simultaneously laughed, "It's 'transmat'." After a moment of slightly awkward silence, Rose lifted her head up off his shoulder, finally able to see where they were— back on Earth, in the park near the waterfront of the River Thames. The Doctor said gently, "Better?"

"Bit, yeah," she said, cheeks turning pink as she unravelled her arms from around the Doctor's neck.

He smiled fondly at her and took her hand. "We must go to my ship to bring Miser into custody."

"You have a ship too?" Rose said excitedly, bouncing beside him as he led her down a path of oaks.

"Yes," he nodded, trying not to preen. And his was monumentally better than some dusty, old, stolen prison ship.

The Doctor tightened his grip around her fingers and pulled her into the shade of the trees, the leaves concealing the TARDIS. She hummed in his mind, both in greeting and in excitement at his newest guest. Said guest raised her eyebrows at his 'ship'. "What's a police box?"

"You'll see," he said, waggling his eyebrows at her as he pulled out his key — her eyes widened in recognition — and unlocked the TARDIS.

Rose jumped the moment she set foot in the console room, the stunted time rotor pumping once in salutation. Her mouth dropped open and he stepped back even whilst keeping his hand locked around hers. "Er… it's dimensionally transcendental?" The Doctor beamed at her — leave it to Rose to set herself apart from all his other companions — up until she whirled her head around as though she'd heard something behind her. "What…?"

"What is it, Rose?" the Doctor asked with concern.

"Who is that?" Rose said, looking alarmed. She turned her head again slowly, a frown on her mouth and a line arching her brows together. "She's in my _head_."

The Doctor gawked at her— she looked terrified. Mentally scolding his ship for scaring Rose, he told her gently, "It's the TARDIS— my ship. She's sentient, and telepathic."

Rose nodded slowly, her stance relaxing. "Are you telepathic too?" When he nodded, she said, "How come I can't hear you?"

"I have shields up," he said, before easing his shields down and pushing a gentle 'hello' in her direction.

She started at first, but then she smiled tentatively. "Hi."

He beamed at her before bouncing over to the console, still unwilling to let go of her hand even as he piloted the TARDIS from the park to the Krillitane prison ship. He had to eventually, when he headed to the holding cell to take Miser back to the TARDIS and Rose stayed behind, running her hands over the Krillitane controls and pressing her face to the window again.

"What are we doing with him?" Rose asked, pulling away when the Doctor dragged in an unconscious, severely burned, still bat-like Miser.

"I shall take him to the Banscrin System," the Doctor said, dragging Miser into the TARDIS console room and stuffing him unceremoniously in the corner.

"Where's that?"

"About sixty thousand light years north of here," the Doctor said airily, fiddling with the controls again.

"And how long'll that take?" Rose asked.

He grinned at her and said, "Oh, about three seconds…"

Rose frowned. "How's she going to pull that off?"

"She's not just a ship, Rose. She's a time machine as well."

Rose gaped. "Like H.G. Wells' time machine?"

"I daresay mine's a bit more sophisticated and non-fictional, but yes, essentially," the Doctor said, and with one last flick of a switch he turned away from the console, grabbed Miser by one wing and started dragging him out of the room and down a long corridor.

"So then, you can go to other _planets _in any time period?" Rose said excitedly, following him and grabbing Miser's other wing to help. "Or you could go back and… er… ooh, meet Charles Dickens!"

"Indeed," the Doctor said happily.

They simply beamed at each other like idiots as the Doctor pulled Miser into a holding cell reminiscent to the Krillitane ship's cell, except this one was cleaner and more sophisticated-looking. Once Miser was behind an electric blue force field, the Doctor took her hand again and led her back to the console room.

"Here we are, then," the Doctor said, after he'd piloted the TARDIS with a grinding bang. "London, precisely thirty minutes after we left."

"Good, 'cos I don't much fancy bein' late for work," Rose grinned, tongue in teeth as she stepped into the afternoon London air. She turned to face him as he leaned against his ship, ankles crossed. "Well, I have to get to the shop, so…" With a shrug, she said, "It was fun."

"Being kidnapped?" he asked, smiling crookedly.

"Being kidnapped and taken into space," she corrected.

"Hold on!" the Doctor burst out when she started to turn away, making her turn around. A blush suddenly swept over his cheeks and he ducked his head bashfully. "I don't suppose… you'd like to come with me?" Her mouth dropped open in astonishment and he added hurriedly, "We can meet Charles Dickens, or go to other planets, or… or we could go to Barcelona! Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. You'll love it! Fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses. Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny."

Rose giggled, eyes flashing with excitement. "Yeah?" He nodded enthusiastically, and his hearts soared with hope when her mouth opened to answer at once— a split second later, however, disappointment crossed her face. "I can't. Not yet," she said hastily, at his look of misery. "I just… I grew up in a council estate with a single mum, and it took years of workin' my arse off to get enough money to go to college. I want to graduate first." He nodded in understanding, no matter how much it secretly displeased him. "Will you stay?"

"Hm? What?"

"Will you stay until the semester's over?" she asked.

He most certainly did _not _want to continue being stuck in this technologically deficient time period, in his tiny flat on the slow path. But Rose's brown eyes were wide with innocence and hope and a clear fear of rejection, and the TARDIS was humming in his mind encouragingly (and assuring him she'd let him in so he wouldn't need his flat), and he caved. "Yes."

The most brilliant beam split across her face, and she ran towards him and tossed her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and whispering happy 'thank you's on a loop. He murmured a 'you're welcome' back and held her tightly, burying his nose in her hair and unconsciously savouring their proximity.

Rose pulled back slowly, seeming just as unwilling to let go as the Doctor was. Blushing, she kissed his cheek chastely, and with a second tongue-touched grin she said, "See you Monday, Doctor," before turning away and heading down the jogging path.

The Doctor watched her go, waiting until she was just a speck in the distance before entering the TARDIS again, the place where her lips had touched tingling slightly. He still had Miser in the brig, but he took a moment to himself to lean against the console and give the TARDIS a grateful smile at her audible hum of reassurance. There was still three months left in the semester, a full three months of living and teaching like some kind of human… and he couldn't wait for Monday. He'd just agreed to settle down, albeit for a lovely and brilliant young woman with a tongue-touched smile that could light up the darkest recesses of the universe and an errant and shameless fascination with outer space.

Oh, dear Rassilon, he loved her.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 1 of 2 (technically 3 if you count the prologue :D). In the next and last chapter, we shall see more examples of Seven's manipulative ways that tend to get him into trouble, and we'll see a new character from season 1. Bet you can't guess who it is :D Recognisable dialogue from Parting of the Ways is © RTD and the BBC.  
**

**Special thanks to New Eliza D, bananas-are-good-9 (your reviews make me beam like an idiot :3), DeepBlue-sama (yeah I figured you'd like the 28DL crossover Ali :D), Genesis Chi, jenn008, Infinities Lover, 3rd Doctor (I watched the video :D it's true!), EpicGuest, JonNebula and XxTamakixX. **

**Hope you liked, please review!**


	3. 2: Four Ways To Get Her To Forgive You

**Beta: My twin friends Erik and Emmett, whose birthday was last week and who had a long-winded argument over who got this chapter as their birthday present. They shared :)**

* * *

Lesson Three

Four Ways To Get Her To Forgive You

"Jacks, just get back in the car, you're not supposed to be walking around—"

"Pete, I'm nine months pregnant, not a trauma patient," Jackie Tyler snapped. "I don't wanna sit in the car; I'm gonna sit outside."

Pete sighed and obediently closed the car door before striding into the pharmacy to pick up her medication, while Jackie edged herself down into a chair on the café patio to the left. She inhaled the scent of fresh coffee and rolls and sighed when she found herself with yet another craving for powdered doughnuts. Waiting in the warm sunlight, Jackie ignored her stupid craving — since she knew that, if she went into the café and bought the doughnuts, she'd end up having six of them in one go — and instead focused on soaking up the sunlight, one hand unconsciously sliding onto her ballooning stomach and giving it a loving pat. She was nearly at her due date— only a week and a half to go until her daughter arrived, the doctors said. Bev, who'd just had her second kid three months ago, had told her the first usually took the longest to be born— Bev herself had been in labour for twenty-six hours for her first child, Joey, and had been in so much pain the doctors had had to give her morphine to take the edge off. Jackie sincerely hoped that wouldn't be the case with her.

"… latest book, Grandfather, and there was even a leather-bound edition of Shakespeare's _Othello_," a lilting young girl's voice caught Jackie's attention.

Jackie looked up to see four people — a stuck-up, posh-looking old man with flyaway grey hair, a lovely teenager with a pixie haircut, and a man and a woman practically eye shagging each other from behind the other two's backs — walking towards her from down the street. Jackie, being the outspoken (and then some) person that she was, raised her eyebrows without trying to hide it— they were all wearing clothes that hadn't been in style since the 1960s.

"Was there?" the oldest man replied airily, lips pressed together in an almost disapproving line. Jackie reckoned that was an expression he used often. "I do already have a copy, you know, Susan— signed by Shakespeare himself." Jackie snorted in disbelief, which the older man noticed and glared at her for. "May I help you, Madame?"

Jackie scowled at him and opened her mouth to tell him off for being rude to a pregnant woman, but the lovely young girl — Susan, he'd said her name was — caught sight of her belly and beamed, making her already crinkly eyes crinkle even more, full lips curved upward. Jackie found herself hoping her daughter would be as beautiful as this girl. "How far along are you, miss?"

Jackie ignored the disgruntled-looking old sod and patting her stomach with a smile. "Due date's in a week and a half, it is."

"Do you know the gender?" the other woman asked from behind the older man.

"Havin' a daughter, me," Jackie beamed, motherly excitement bubbling in her chest. A rhythmic thumping started on the inside of her belly, making her jump. "Ooh, she's kicking!"

"May I feel?" Susan asked, and when Jackie nodded, the girl beamed and placed her hand flat against her ballooning stomach.

"Don't much fancy her doin' that when I'm tryin' to sleep, y'know," Jackie chuckled, as the baby's kicking increased in speed at Susan's touch.

"I'd imagine not."

"Can I feel?" the woman asked, and placed her hand next to Susan's. "Ooh, come feel, Ian."

The younger man didn't jump at the chance as the two women had, but still placed his hand on Jackie's stomach. "I can't imagine having a child thumping around in there."

"That's because you're male," said the woman delicately, and Susan giggled.

"Come feel, Grandfather," Susan said.

When Susan's grandfather made a face reminiscent to someone swallowing a lemon, Jackie rolled her eyes and said, "She ain't gonna pop out o' my stomach and eat ya, then."

The old man scowled at her, which she mirrored, and obediently placed his winkled palm on her thumping stomach. Jackie's sharpness towards the man softened when his expression did— at least, until he cleared his throat, stepped back and said gruffly, "Yes, well, interesting. Come along now Susan, Ian, Barbara. We have somewhere to be."

Susan pouted and all three of them removed their hands. Jackie bid them goodbye, wincing as the baby shifted inside her, kicks now situated directly on her pelvis. In the instant that Pete emerged from the pharmacy, clutching a white bag, Jackie stood up only to shout out in alarm when water gushed between her legs, soaking her jumpsuit pants.

"_What!? What is it!?_" Pete all but yelped.

"START THE BLOODY CAR!" Jackie screeched.

* * *

The Doctor had never before believed in heaven. Oh, for certain there were gods — he's seen fake gods and bad gods and demigods and would-be gods — but they weren't gods for being all-knowing and for having the power to turn water into wine in the blink of an eye or something; they were everyday people who had the ability to do some things better than mainstream folk, or they were simply devious people pretending they did so they could enslave others, or they were people who could have simply saved a little girl from the bottom of a well and ended up revered because of it. Anyway, he was rambling. Where had he been again? Ah yes, the notion of heaven. It was silly, really, thinking that there was a place made of clouds and happiness, where angels resided.

At least, until, he and his wonderful Rose (not his, he reminded himself firmly, just Rose) started spending their lunch hours in the TARDIS. Then he knew heaven most definitely existed, although the only clouds were those made of stellar dust and the only angel there was one wearing knockoff jeans and a pink jumper.

The first time it happened, it had been post-class, three days after he'd turned Miser into the Krillitane authorities in the Banscrin system, and he'd been halfway out the door, thinking maybe he'd have a spot of tea at the Eye of Orion. Rose had intercepted him with a box of chips and a brilliant tongue-in-teeth smile that made his hearts do a samba against his ribs, and she'd suggested they sit underneath the willow tree on campus. The Doctor had instead whisked her away on his first 'adventure' with Rose, which was actually just eating said chips on said Eye of Orion and watching said Rose bounce around the terrain excitedly, chips nearly forgotten.

The next six weeks of lunches were basically the same thing— mostly chips, although the Doctor had sometimes taken her to alien chip stands and even a place that sold the best banana daiquiris in the universe, and once he even took her to a bazaar and bought her a bracelet with renowned emeralds, made out of converted and solidified Quarkian scorpid venom, which she hugged him for several times and even kissed his cheek. The Doctor ended up opening up to her a little about Ace (which explained why he hated being called 'Professor') and some of his other companions. In return, Rose told him about her past and about Jimmy Stone, and the Doctor was proud of her for wising up and kicking his arse to the curb when he'd all but ordered her to quit school. Had she not gotten her A-levels and raised money for college through several droll part-time jobs, they wouldn't have met.

Though the Eye of Orion was their favourite place to frequent, he also occasionally surprised her with different locations. Today's surprise was a picnic in front of the opened TARDIS doors, which the Doctor had parked directly in front of a nebula — Caldwell 49, NASA called it, which was a rather dull name for something so lovely, if you asked him, which is why he introduced it by its nickname: the Rosette Nebula. In blushing reds, pinks, oranges, maroons and even violets, the collection of gaseous elements and space dust was shaped like a blooming rose. Bringing Rose here was probably the most forward thing the Doctor had ever done to convey his only recently accepted feelings for her, and he'd been scared as hell and itching to run the other way should she reject him, but Rose had positively melted when he'd brought her onto the TARDIS — in which sat waiting a lovely little blanket and a box of chips from Antios V — piloted the ship in front of the nebula and began to explain about it.

It turned out he had no need to be afraid in the slightest, because now he and Rose were lying on their backs in front of the nebula, her head was nestled comfortably in the crook of his neck and their hands rested intertwined between them, Rose's bracelet clinging to her wrist, and he was trying not to hum with delight— everything was positively _wonderful_.

"Why's it shaped like that?" Rose asked in a quiet voice, as though speaking any louder would ruin the mood.

"Stellar winds, coincidence… maybe the occasional draft from when I stroll by," the Doctor said, grinning as she giggled.

The TARDIS, who'd previously brought her sentience elsewhere to give them some privacy, suddenly chimed in his mind. Rose sat up, able to hear it as well. "What's the matter?"

"It's nearly time for your next class," the Doctor said, still unable to get used to the fact that she could communicate with his ship nearly as well as he could. He was reminded of the first week after the Miser incident, which he'd mostly spent panicking and refusing to believe his newfound feelings for Rose were anything more than admiration.

Rose had asked him, during their second luncheon on the Eye of Orion, "What was that telepathic thing you used on my friends?"

"It's called a perception filter," the Doctor had replied around a mouthful of chips. "A mild form of telepathy that manipulates brainwaves and thought patterns."

"So then you had a… prescription filter around your jumper?"

He chuckled and corrected, "Perception. Yes, I did. But it can also be used to almost completely conceal a person, so they're almost invisible." Rose gaped at him and he nodded. "For example, if I were wearing one in a room with two other people who didn't know I was there, they wouldn't be able to see me unless I intentionally draw attention to myself."

"Bet the CIA would love that," Rose grinned. "How come I'm immune to it, then?"

The Doctor frowned. "I haven't the faintest idea, nor how you're able to communicate so easily with my ship. Humans in general aren't able to use telepathy — too big a strain on the mind, you see — but there have been cases of humans with low-level telepathic fields. Nothing as complex as yours, though." He pondered for a moment. "Perhaps I ought to take some scans."

Rose had pouted at the prospect of having to leave the alien landscape but obediently followed him into the TARDIS, who'd rearranged her doors so they'd head straight for the med bay. Rose had munched on the remaining chips as the Doctor scanned her mind first with some kind of spinning rod thing, and then with some orange instrument that looked suspiciously like a high-tech, beeping bendy straw.

"It's as I suspected," he'd announced grandly after nearly twenty minutes.

"What?"

"Your mind is soaked with artron radiation. It's nothing bad, I assure you," the Doctor added hastily, seeing her look of alarm. "I too am covered in the stuff— occupational hazard when being a time traveller, you know. It merely means that you encountered someone who travelled in time, most likely before you were born. Or your mother travelled in time when you were still in the womb."

"I sincerely doubt Mum's travelled in time," Rose snorted. The only thing closest to aliens that Jackie believed in was karma.

"Then she encountered someone who was soaked in it whilst pregnant with you," the Doctor said, before smiling with warmth and saying fondly, "You're special, Rose Tyler."

The two of them had blushed, Rose with flattery and the Doctor in embarrassment at his own audacity. The Doctor in the present moment snorted to himself, unable to be embarrassed at the prospect now, because she _was _special. To him, anyway, telepathy or no telepathy.

Rose heaved a sigh and wiped her salt-covered, free hand on a napkin before letting him pull her up. "Can't I stay a bit longer? Time machine, remember?" she added, grinning with a hint of tongue.

He tried not to give her a soppy grin and probably failed. "Mustn't dally, you know. You'll have to get your education before I can take you to Barcelona."

That seemed to do it— her eyes lit up with excitement and she nodded enthusiastically. "Only four more weeks 'til the semester ends."

"Indeed," the Doctor said, beaming at her as he piloted the TARDIS to the college campus, hidden out of sight in the back. "Run along then, Rose."

"See you tomorrow!" Rose said, giving him her usual happy, lingering hug before she bid the TARDIS goodbye as well and headed into the school.

The Doctor grinned goofily now that there was nobody to see him (save his ship, who was doing the mental equivalent of a teasing giggle) and let the TARDIS dematerialise.

* * *

Jackie, who was situated on the couch watching a news story about a Chinese gang who'd been roaming London's streets lately, looked away from the screen as her only daughter walked into the flat holding her books, yet another stupid grin on her face. For ages now she'd been coming home excited and happier than normal— Jackie hadn't said anything, simply assuming she'd met another pretty bloke her age or something, but with no mention of a bloke of any kind she was starting to get suspicious.

"What'cha so happy about?"

"Nothin'," Rose said, even with an upbeat tone and a beam.

"Right," Jackie said disbelievingly, clicking off the telly and standing up from the couch to address her daughter. "S'it a bloke?" Rose, who was busy plopping her books on the kitchen table, didn't answer, and when Jackie leant to the left a little to try and see her face beyond the curtain of her hair, she was surprised to see Rose's cheeks flushed pink. "Rose?"

"Maybe," she answered finally, on a half-whisper.

Jackie wondered why Rose was keeping anything from her — Rose had always told her about the men she fancied — but grinned nonetheless. "Well, go on, then."

"Go on what?" Rose said dismissively.

"Tell me about him! What's he been doin' that's got you all lovesick?"

"'M not _lovesick_!"

Jackie chuckled. "Sweetheart, have you seen your face lately?" Rose glared and ignored her, turning back to her books, prompting Jackie to circle the couch, suddenly concerned. "He's not like… like Jimmy, is he? S'that why you're not tellin' me— 'cos he's some low-life musician again?"

"What? Mum, no!" Rose said hotly. "He's nothing like Jimmy!"

"Then how come you won't tell me, eh?" Jackie said, eyeing her with accusation. "Is he ugly?"

Rose snorted, covering her mouth with one hand to stifle her giggles. "No."

"Is he stupid?"

Now Rose was practically draped over the chair, letting out laugh after laugh and making Jackie purse her lips. "Not even close!"

"Then what?" Jackie demanded.

Rose wiped her eyes, still grinning. "Nothing's… _wrong_ with him." _He's just an alien with a time machine, is all_, she added in her mind with an internal cringe.

"He's older'n you, isn't he?" Jackie immediately knew she was right when Rose flinched. "Blimey, Rose, by how much?"

"I dunno!" Rose said hotly, unconsciously hugging her astrophysics book. "'Sides, Dad was older than you by eleven years, wasn't he?"

"Yes, but your father and I were made for each other," Jackie said lightly. Rose rolled her eyes, even though the girlish side of her was sighing with romantic delight. "So, you fancy him then?"

"No…" Rose mumbled, playing with the corner of her book. "I love him all right?" she said grudgingly, when Jackie looked impatient.

Her mother's mouth dropped open. "You're in _love _with an older bloke?! Rose Marion Tyler!"

"Mum, I'm not a child! An' he's a fantastic bloke— no matter how _old _he is."

"S'that right, then? Does he fancy you?"

Rose blushed crimson and ducked her head again. "I dunno… I think so. I mean, he says and does a lot of sweet stuff." When Jackie gave her the 'go on, then' expression, Rose huffed out a sigh and added, "We've been having chips together since the middle of the semester, all right? An' he bought me this bracelet." _And he's been taking me into space for picnics in his sentient spaceship_.

"How did I not know about this?!" Jackie said, more to herself than to Rose, sounding significantly upset.

"'Cos I didn't tell you 'til now?" Rose suggested sarcastically.

"Why don't you hang out with blokes your own age, then?" Jackie said, ignoring her. "Don't you like Mickey anymore?"

"'Course," she replied indignantly, though cringing when she realised she'd been all but ignoring her best mate to spend time with the Doctor. "I'll not promise I'll stop having chips with the— I mean, him," she corrected quickly. "I have homework."

And with that, she scooped her books off the table and headed into her room for privacy.

* * *

It was less than two days later, when Rose was working a double-shift at Henrik's, that her mother's wish was granted. When Rose first arrived she found an unfamiliar bloke working her usual register, whom the manager, Stephanie, introduced as her new co-worker. He was fit, with cocoa-coloured hair and a smile that made his pale brown eyes crinkle (what the Doctor would call a 'pretty boy') and introduced himself as Adam Mitchell. Rose found him a bit full of himself at first, but they ended up bonding quickly over their similar situations — two clever Estates people stuck in a lowly working class environment to pave the way towards success — and their mutual interest in outer space.

"I'm not gonna be stuck here for long, though," Rose was telling him as she smoothed out the wrinkles on one of the discount sweaters. "'M gonna be travellin', soon."

"Already got the cash?" Adam asked.

Rose suppressed a snort— where she was going, she didn't need money. At least, not Earth money. "You could say that." At his inquisitive look, she shrugged. "'M gonna be going with… a friend of mine. He's sort of been travellin' all his life, and he's invited me to come," she added, a smile starting to grow.

"Yeah? Where are you goin' first?"

"Barcelona," Rose grinned. _The planet, not the city._

"Glad one of us Estates kids ends up doin' something useful," Adam said, looking envious of her.

"You'll get there," said Rose sympathetically, giving his arm a pat and missing the look he shot in the direction of her bum when she turned around to return to the register. "I was just lucky to find the Doctor."

"He's a doctor, but he travels? Is he one of those doctors without borders?"

"You could say that."

"Do you always say that?"

Adam grinned and Rose laughed. "You could say that."

The evening crowd shuffled in, ending their conversation until closing. Once all of the customers were shooed out and the store was locked up, Adam hesitated in the light of the flickering streetlamp. "D'you, er… want to go somewhere on Saturday?"

Rose opened her mouth to decline, the Doctor's face clear in her mind, but then she remembered her mother's words. Granting Adam a smile, she said, "I like chips," before heading home.

Jackie was watching an old _Coronation Street _rerun with Howard — her latest beau — when Rose walked into the flat. Waving offhand to Howard, Rose regarded her mum and said, "You'll be happy to know I'm hangin' out with a bloke my age this Saturday."

"Good," said Jackie, turning her attention back to the telly.

Rose muttered an, "Okay then," before heading into her room.

* * *

The Doctor didn't much fancy being without Rose for too long, and usually he'd simply say goodbye to her at lunch and then skip ahead to the next morning (although he'd never admit it) but the TARDIS had been egging him for a while to fix her lateral scanning array, so now he was situated underneath the console, twisting two wires together, thoughts on Rose as per usual. There was less than three weeks to go until he could finally renounce his godforsaken job as a teacher and whisk her away into the delights of the universe. He grinned goofily as he imagined taking her to the beautiful Celmisia in blooming season, or an interplanetary bazaar, or even Tinselton for Christmas!

The TARDIS hummed impatiently at him in the back of his mind, successfully breaking him out of his reverie, and he muttered, "Yes, yes, I'm almost done."

Grumbling about impatience, the Doctor sealed the wires with his spanner, heaved himself out from underneath the console, tossing the spanner into a toolbox, and then punched in the coordinates for tomorrow morning. Perhaps for lunch today, he'd take Rose to the Ares I base, where they sold chips that came in orange, green and blue colours. Smiling to himself, the Doctor piloted the TARDIS into an alley near the school, picked up his umbrella perched on the wall and strode outside.

Rose was already in the classroom, as per usual, and he all but beamed when she shot him her usual brilliant smile in greeting. That is, until, he caught wind of her conversation with Mickey and Shareen whilst pulling out the previous week's exam preparations.

"… this bloke you've been seein' since the week before, Rose," Shareen was chattering, making the Doctor freeze.

"His name is Adam, and we're friends," said Rose delicately.

"Right, that's why you an' him have been thick as thieves since last Saturday," Mickey snorted, looking almost as happy about the prospect as the Doctor felt.

"We got chips, is all. He works with me at Henrik's."

"Is he fit?" Shareen asked.

"Insanely fit," Rose grinned, and the women giggled while Mickey grimaced at his notebook. "An' he's really smart, too."

"Are you gonna hook up with him?"

"Shareen! 'M not my mother, or you!"

"I know, but—"

The Doctor tuned out the rest of it, doing his lecture in a monotone manner and trying very hard not to look at Rose, especially when he noticed that she wasn't wearing her scorpid bracelet anymore (and didn't that hurt like hell). When the class ended, and Rose hung around as per usual, he opened his mouth to give some droll excuse as to why he couldn't do lunch, but Rose beat him to the punch. "I can't make it to lunch today." At his raised eyebrows, she added, "I don't have chemistry this afternoon, and I sort of made the mistake of tellin' my manager at Henrik's that I was free for the afternoon shift."

"Very well," he said, cringing at how irritated his voice sounded. "I shall see you Friday."

She sent him another tongue-in-teeth grin that had him smiling back reluctantly, and gave him one last hug that lasted a lot shorter than usual before heading out of the classroom. The Doctor shut the door behind her and sank into the nearest chair, feeling as though she'd hit him. Rose was seeing someone, probably some stupid human wanker who only wanted her because she was pretty. The Doctor scowled at the desk, imagining pummelling this Adam bloke (who looked a lot like Mickey) with his umbrella.

Then his thoughts turned self-deprecating— he should have seen it coming a mile away. She was bound to find someone eventually, someone who could give her houses with picket fences and three children, which he couldn't give her. Rose was a lovely, brilliant young girl, and he was just a hopelessly in love Time Lord who should know better than to hope she'd one day feel the same. Hell, he may be young in Time Lord standards, but to her he was several hundred years older than her, and he wasn't exactly a looker (or 'fit', as she'd say).

Still, he always had one option…

A voice that sounded suspiciously like Ace's chided him in the back of his mind for the cold, manipulative, calculating thing he was about to do, but he silenced the voice and stood with determination. Snatching up his things, the Doctor strode out of the building and into his TARDIS, and piloted it straight to Henrik's.

* * *

When Rose arrived, she was shocked to see Adam in handcuffs and the police escorting him out of the shop, the poor bloke looking terrified to the point where his whole body was trembling and his lips were white. Heart pounding in her chest, Rose hurried into the shop, where her other co-workers were muttering amongst themselves and Stephanie looked utterly enraged.

"What the hell happened?" Rose asked.

"Adam's been stealin' from us this whole time, apparently," Stephanie said, glossed lips pressed together in a thin line. "Found fifty quid taken from the register inside his cubby, including some personal items of mine—" she looked livid, "— a key card used to access everyone's personal files… and your super posh bracelet."

Rose frowned as Stephanie handed her the scorpid emerald bracelet, staring at it even as her manager left. There was no possible way it could have gotten into Adam's locker… unless… but it couldn't have been him…

Gripping her bracelet so tightly the jewels dug into her palm, Rose stormed out of the store, ignoring Stephanie's calls of confusion. When she turned the corner, Rose broke out into a run, heart pumping wildly with fury and adrenaline, simultaneously hoping the TARDIS was still in its usual spot, and that it wasn't. Unfortunately, or perhaps not, the blue box was perched as usual in the concealed area where the trees were thicker, closest to the banks of the River Thames. She didn't even have to take out the key the Doctor had given her over a month ago— the doors to the TARDIS drifted open meekly and a wave of hesitance and affection prodded her mind, as though the TARDIS herself was ashamed.

The moment she stormed into the console room, she found the Doctor situated at the other end of the console, looking mildly surprised, slightly fearful and calculatingly calm at the same time. "Rose?"

"Why did you do it?" she said, cringing at how monotone her voice sounded. Right now she wanted to rage and scream and maybe even slap him once or twice, for good measure, but the TARDIS was humming in her mind, trying to get her to calm down, and she hated how it was working.

"Do what?" he said almost airily, although the way his eyes swivelled away from hers and rested on the mallet thing on the console gave it away at once.

"Have Adam fired and _arrested_, that's what!"

"Rose—"

"They said he 'stole' from the shop," Rose interrupted, glaring at him. "Found this—" she held up her bracelet, limp and off her wrist again, "— in his locker. Except that I left it here, in the TARDIS, two days ago. An' I doubt Adam somehow waltzed into the TARDIS, forgot to notice that, oh, the bloody police box is bigger on the inside, and nicked my bracelet."

"Rose, you must be mistaken," the Doctor began quietly, his voice almost dangerous, his knuckles turning white from the way he gripped the console too hard.

"How effing stupid do you think I am?" Rose snarled. "You just _ruined _that poor kid's life! D'you have any idea how bloody terrified he looked? You _framed _him, Doctor. Why would you even do that?"

"_He was going to take you away_!" the Doctor thundered, before retreating almost at once, turning his back on her so she couldn't see his face.

Rose stared at his back in confusion, not answering at first, trying to understand. Something clicked and she said with incredulity, "You did all this 'cos you thought he'd tie me to Earth? That I wouldn't travel with you 'cos of some bloke?" He opened his mouth to tell her she was wrong, but she continued, sounding more and more furious. "Doctor, I was only hangin' out with him to shut my mum up. But you don't have to worry— 'm not gonna talk to him again. Or you, for that matter. 'Cos you've got to be the coldest, most manipulative bastard I've ever met in my life."

He whirled around, looking utterly horrified. "Rose—"

"Don't even," she said abruptly, taking a step back when he moved forward. "Just— I'm leaving, all right? Don't bother comin' to school Monday."

"No, Rose, don't, please," he begged, but Rose merely put her bracelet and her key on the console before hurrying out of the TARDIS as though she expected him to grab hold of her any second. The Doctor tried to fling himself out the doors to try and run after her, but the TARDIS slammed her doors shut, causing him to smack into them and crash to the floor none too gracefully. "_Open the doors_!" he shouted, but the TARDIS hummed in disapproval in his mind before going completely silent.

Now knowing he was trapped inside his own ship and unable to explain himself to the woman he loved, who was currently trying to walk away from him forever, the Doctor snatched her bracelet from the console and sank onto his backside on the floor, hugging the trinket for comfort.

* * *

"_You were _what?!"

"_My dear Ace, you must understand—"_

"_Understand what? That the whole time I've been with you, you've been secretly messing with my head so I'd be eligible to go to your people's goddamn Academy?"_

"_It wasn't the whole time, and it was for you— you have so much potential and—"_

"_I don't care! I don't _effing care _anymore, Professor! How can I ever trust you again? You've been _changing _me, behind my back. I'm just a fucking lab rat to you, aren't I?"_

"_You aren't, Ace, you're—"_

"_You have to be the coldest, most manipulative bastard I have ever met in my life— and I've met some fucked up people, Professor. I'm leaving."_

"_Ace—"_

"_Goodbye, Professor."_

"_Ace, wait! _Ace_!"_

* * *

"Rose?" Jackie called, when she heard the door slam in the background. Taking her hands out of the sink full of dishes and wiping her hands on a towel, she shouted out again, "Rose? That you, sweetheart? Thought you'd be at work!" Rose still didn't answer, and Jackie frowned and poked her head out to see into the living room. Her daughter had her back to her; she was slumped on the couch, shoulders hunched. "Rose?"

"'M fine."

Her voice was a croak, making Jackie's frown deepen. Circling the couch, Jackie spotted the tearstains and the running mascara on Rose's face and she said, "Rosie, what's the matter?"

Her lower lip trembled when her mother sat down next to her on the couch, and Rose hurled her arms around her and snuggled into Jackie's lap for comfort. "He did something so bloody stupid, Mum."

"Who, love?" Jackie said gently. "Adam?" Rose shook her head silently. "That other bloke?" She nodded, sniffling. "What'd he do?"

She shook her head again, and Jackie obediently settled for holding her daughter as she cried.

* * *

Rose went to bed early, tossing and turning throughout the night, dreams plagued with angry Adams calling her from prison and telling her it was her fault, evil Doctors torturing her in — for some reason — Miser's holding cell, and once a tearful Doctor hugging her and refusing to let go, begging her to forgive him, which had her waking up in tears again. She already wanted to run back to the TARDIS, if it was still there, and tell him she forgave him, but each time the thought crossed her mind, she would force herself to imagine what life with him would be like if he continued to be this manipulative. That brought back her anger, and her will— at least for a short while.

Come morning, her streaked makeup was caked onto her face and took a full ten minutes of scrubbing to get off. Rose scowled at her reflection— with her raw, blemished face, red eyes and limp hair, she looked like one of those shady folks that hung round downtown, which Jackie called 'crack heads'. She exited the loo and started to pull off her vest top, but Jackie called out to her, "Rose! There's some bloke at the door to see you!"

She cursed in her mind that whomever it was had to see her in her jimjams and without makeup (honestly, who shows up at seven a.m. on a Saturday anyway?) and called back to give her a minute so she could try and tame her hair into submission. Rose ultimately failed, and resorted to piling it onto a messy bun on top of her head before tossing on a jumper and heading out into the living room. Jackie had her lips pursed in disapproval over a cup of tea, and situated on one of the dining room chairs, looking very uncomfortable (and just about as well groomed as her) was the Doctor.

"Rose," he said on a gasp, jumping up from his seat like a skittish rabbit, blushing and avoiding looking at her insanely petite sleep shorts.

Knowing full well she didn't want to have this conversation in front of her mum, Rose pointed to the door and hissed, "Outside. Right now."

He ducked his head and obediently hurried outside. Rose shut the door behind her after double-checking that Jackie wouldn't be eavesdropping and gave the Doctor a once-over, all of her anger being shoved aside for the briefest second at his expression, which was reminiscent to a kicked puppy. Trying not to let that show, Rose glared, crossed her arms and said, "What the hell are you doin' here?"

"Rose," he merely repeated at first, sounding heartbroken. Then he sighed and said, "I want to apologise."

"If you want to apologise, do it to Adam," Rose snapped, anger returning. "You can explain why you framed him and got him fired and arrested."

"I've already had it so that the Adam boy has been cleared of all charges and released," the Doctor said earnestly, looking at her with what he probably thought were doe eyes. "Do you forgive me now?"

Rose stared at him with incredulity, his look of earnestness fading into uncertainty. "No, I don't."

His face fell completely. "But—"

"Doctor, you framed an innocent kid just so I'd travel with you," Rose said, and he opened his mouth to deny it but obediently silenced himself when she held up her hand. "That's… really not okay, yeah? It was fucked up, an' you need to understand that."

"I do," he said quietly, looking at his feet.

She shook her head. "No, you don't." Dropping her gaze to the ground as well, she muttered, "Don't come here again," before heading into the flat and closing the door behind her.

* * *

The night before for the Doctor had been dreadful— he'd not moved from his spot on the floor for a full thirteen hours, cradling the scorpid bracelet as though it were the Holy Grail and seriously considering going back in his own timeline to change things, because if there was any moment to cause a paradox for, it was this one. He'd even fallen asleep at one point for a few minutes, developing an awful crick in his neck from where he'd leant against the console at an awkward angle.

Eventually the TARDIS had gotten so sick of his moping that she'd woken him up with a loud buzzing noise and hummed at him impatiently. So he'd obediently bit back the good kick he wanted to give her, piloted her to seven a.m. the next day and headed to Rose's flat to apologise, scorpid bracelet in his pocket for luck.

Post-failed apology, the Doctor slunk back to his ship and wallowed in self-pity for another four hours before deciding to give it another shot. He piloted the TARDIS yet again to the next day — Sunday, when Rose would take the morning shift at Henrik's — and this time stopped by the florist and picked up four roses, two pink and two yellow, much like his favourite person. It was cheesy as hell, he knew, but he had to do something, and the only thing he could come up with was to offer her a jelly baby (which would most definitely not work).

This time, the Doctor made sure he didn't look like a drowned cat before heading towards the shop, nervousness fluttering in his hearts again, along with the familiar swell of affection he always got whilst looking at her nowadays. She was slinging her bag over her shoulder and heading out of the shop, at which he frowned— was it the end of her shift? Ah well, he'd been aiming for morning, but this would do as well.

"Rose?" he called out tentatively.

Rose turned around, eyes landing first on him, then on the flowers. She looked exasperated, sighing and placing a hand on her forehead. "What're you doin'?"

"I believe flowers are an accurate way to express apologies… among other things," the Doctor said, flushing scarlet as he handed her the roses.

She took them, which was a good sign (right?) but even though she practically hugged them, she still looked downcast. "You don't get it, do you? It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than flowers, Doctor."

"I know, Rose," the Doctor said pleadingly, taking a step towards her. "Let me prove it to you."

Rose shook her head and said, "How?" before turning away from him and starting to leave again.

He'd been ninety per cent certain the flowers wouldn't work, but he did have one last trick up his sleeve. Inhaling deeply and half-wishing it hadn't come to this, the Doctor clenched his fists and called out at her retreating form, "I love you, Rose!"

Rose successfully paused mid stride, her whole body tensing up, and she turned around slowly, her whole face flushed and eyes shining. Swallowing, she gave a teary half-smile and croaked out, "Yeah?"

A mangled mix of terror and hope swelled his hearts, and he returned her hesitant smile and said, "Yes."

Just after she sported a brilliant beam, the sound of men shouting in a foreign language and two gunshots cracked through the air. Both of their faces blanched and the Doctor hurried towards her, shoving her behind him just as a pair of horrified-looking Asian kids rounded from the alley next to them, both holding guns and both splattered with blood. The crowd around them shouted out in alarm and fear and started to scatter when another shot rang through the air. Rose tried to see over the Doctor's shoulder only to spot the two Asian kids running the other way.

"Doctor, I think they're leavin'," Rose said when he continued to block her. The Doctor didn't answer her, and she gripped his arm and said confusedly, "Doctor?" Wordlessly he started to tip backwards, making her gasp out in alarm and forcing her to drop the roses and grab his shoulders when he crashed to the ground, giving her an ample view of the slowly growing red stain dead centre on the front of his question mark jumper. "_Doctor_!"

"Rose…" he choked out, fighting to stay conscious as black clouded his vision slightly.

She lowered his head into her lap (despite the situation, he fondly thought back to when he'd been in the same position on the Krillitane ship) and he could see tears that had nothing to do with his earlier confession shining in her eyes. "Someone call an ambulance!" Rose wailed to the people behind her, five of which whipped out their mobiles.

"Rose, listen—" he forced out.

"Don't die," she whimpered, attention back on him.

The Doctor chuckled despite the pain in his chest. "I'm not going to die, silly girl."

"Yeah?"

"Yes." He sobered. "But I might change. Just—" he pause to wince before continuing, "— don't let the doctors give me any anaesthesia or painkillers of any sort. Do you understand?"

Rose nodded tearfully, just as the wailing of ambulance sirens starting to become audible. When he showed signs of starting to drift into unconsciousness, she squeezed his hand and said, "Doctor?"

He forced himself to stay awake. "Hmm?"

"I love you too. An' I forgive you."

Even though his eyes were closed, the Doctor let a hopeful smile shine over his face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she sniffled, wiping away her wet cheek with the back of her hand.

He hummed happily before finally drifting off in her lap. She choked back the wave of sobs that wanted to overcome her, forcing herself to remember that the Doctor said he wouldn't die— although that didn't stop her from feeling like she was killing him herself when the paramedics got there and she gave them his instructions not to give him painkillers or anaesthesia. While the paramedics loaded him into the ambulance, Rose scooped up the fallen roses and clambered into the ambulance as well.

* * *

"Miss… Tyler?" said an American female's voice from behind her. Rose twisted in the plastic waiting room seat to see over her shoulder, spotting a tall woman with straight brown hair dressed in doctor's scrubs. Her nametag read 'Grace Holloway'. "Your friend, er…" she trailed off to glace at her clipboard, "… John Smith, is out of surgery."

"He's all right?" Rose said, tightening her grip on her flowers.

Doctor Holloway nodded, smiling gently as Rose slumped in her seat. "He's going to be in a lot of pain without the morphine, but he'll pull through, I think. You can see him if you want."

Jackie set down her magazine back on the table and picked up her vending machine-bought coffee, and the two of them followed Doctor Holloway down the hall and into the elevator, which brought them two floors up and up to the patient recovery rooms. Rose all but tripped over herself in her haste to get to the Doctor, who was sleeping on a crisp white bed with a content look on his face, dressed in a linen shift.

"Blimey, that looks nasty," Jackie said in a quiet voice, when she got a glance of the heavily bandaged, slightly bloodied spot on his chest.

"Luckily it didn't hit his hearts— I mean, heart," Rose corrected herself hastily, setting down her roses on the side table, pulling a chair from the corner of the room, planting herself in front of the Doctor and taking his hand.

"I talked to some people— they said it was that Chinese street gang that's been on the news for a bit," Jackie said, swirling her cheap coffee in its white Styrofoam cup. "The ones that shot him, I mean. They killed one bloke in the alley next to Henrik's. Still, s'lucky your mate's all right, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Jackie's eyes narrowed over cup at the tone of Rose's voice. "S'this the bloke you wouldn't tell me about?"

"Maybe," Rose muttered.

Jackie huffed a sigh. "Well he's no looker, that's for certain—"

"Mum!"

"— but you're clearly completely arse over elbow for this bloke… and maybe he is too," Jackie added, glancing at the roses.

"He told me he loved me," Rose said, unable to keep the smitten grin off her face. "Just before…"

She trailed off, but Jackie knew what she was talking about. Draining her cup, her mother said, "Back in a mo', gonna get some more coffee," before heading out of the room.

Rose sighed after Jackie, knowing she'd never fully accept her daughter being with an 'older bloke' (much less an older _alien _bloke), and simply sat in silence for a few minutes. It was grudgingly flattering, knowing that he went to such lengths to keep her with him, but she still had to find some way of getting him to trust her and not manipulate her. They couldn't function like that together, not if she would be travelling with him— especially as more than just a companion.

"Ow," came the Doctor's voice beside her in an almost whiny, petulant tone.

Rose jumped and looked towards him, grip on his hand tightening. His eyes were squeezed shut and his lower lip was stuck out in a scowl. "Doctor! Are you awake?"

"No," he mumbled, and Rose chuckled fondly.

Then his eyes flew open in remembrance and he started to bolt upward, but was stopped by the pain in his chest and Rose's hands on his shoulders. "Stay down, Mister," she ordered sternly.

"Then you come here," he insisted, looking dead serious.

She raised her eyebrows but leaned forward obligingly, only to have him pull her down to his level and capture her lips. Rose gasped into his mouth, and mentally remarked that despite having been in surgery and unconscious for nearly ten hours he still tasted like spearmint before weaving her fingers into his hair and slanting her mouth over his. He hummed with delight against her lips and lifted a hand to slide it over her cheek, tilting her head for a better angle.

"Oh!" came Jackie's shocked gasp, and Rose pulled away to see her mother standing in the doorway. "I'll… er… come back when… when you're done." And she turned on her heels and left hastily.

Rose blinked and turned to the Doctor, who was completely red in the face. "That was not how I wanted my mum to see you."

"I didn't want to see her at all," he mumbled, cowering under her glare. When she tried to pull away from him, he tugged her back with all the insistence of a child, so that she collapsed onto the bed beside him. "Before I recovered, I meant of course," he added hastily.

"'Course that's what you meant." Rose rolled her eyes but obediently slid her legs properly onto the bed, at which he beamed and snuggled her into him. "So… were we done?"

"No, Rose Tyler, we most definitely are not," he said earnestly, and she let out a giggle before he crushed his mouth to hers again.

* * *

Two weeks later, Rose was situated on display at a podium set up on the campus grass, her mother sitting in the front row of the set of lawn chairs sobbing like a lunatic. Her jumper was black and heavy (which, in hindsight, she regretted choosing), the summer sun was baking the back of her neck, her reclaimed scorpid bracelet kept reflecting the sunlight and making green jewels of light appear on people's faces, and the man handing her the rolled-up doctorate had a voice like a droning saw— for the past twenty minutes he'd given a speech about how she was a 'hard-working girl' which merely made her sound like an antisocial geek whose life consisted of books.

"… I am pleased to present this to Miss Rose Tyler— or rather, Doctor Rose Tyler, now, for her first doctorate in astrophysics," the man finished, finally handing her the doctorate.

Rose pulled her jumper up so her neck wouldn't suffer any more and accepted her diploma with a plastered smile. Over Jackie's wails and the applause of the rest of her astrophysics class and their parents', the sound of grinding engines echoed through the campus, making a genuine smile break out over her face. "Thanks mate, I've gotta go," Rose said happily to the man.

Stuffing her doctorate into her jumper pocket so she wouldn't lose it, Rose jumped off the podium and took off running towards the sound of the TARDIS's engines, ignoring her mother's cries of confusion. She spotted the Doctor at the edge of the campus, leaning against the TARDIS with a brilliant beam on his face. As the TARDIS hummed proudly at her in her mind, Rose beamed back and sprinted towards him, jumping with mutual laughter into his opened arms. Snogging him so thoroughly she nearly toppled them both over, Rose pulled back and grinned when he looked goofily dazed.

"Barcelona?" she inquired, tongue at the corner of her mouth.

He waggled his eyebrows, grinned excitedly and grabbed her hand. "Barcelona."

* * *

**A/N: The end :D I think the Doctor's learned his lesson, yeah? Thank yous for this story go out to jenn008, Genesis Chi, Dreamcatcher49, bananas-are-good-9, Infinities Lover, New Eliza D, Misty-1425, JonNebula, DeepBlue-sama (:3 that was a good day), Miral-Romanov (hi Lucien XD), wishbones, ExplosiveCreations, natural-blues and an EpicGuest. Eight's installment will be a canon one shot, and then yes, we will move on to War Doctor/Rose.**

**Thanks for reading, my lovelies! **


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